1. Field
This invention relates generally to the transportation of boats mounted on trailers, and more specifically to a an apparatus and related method for mounting a boat and trailer onto the bed of a standard pickup truck.
2. Prior Art
Boats used for recreational purposes are usually transported overland by mounting the boat onto a trailer and then connecting the trailer to the back of a truck or other suitable vehicle by use of a standard ball and hitch arrangement. While this procedure is adequate when only one trailer is to be pulled, a different method of transportation must be used when two trailers are to be transported simultaneously.
To provide for this situation, a number of prior art devices have been created which have the capability of lifting a boat and the trailer upon which that boat is mounted off of the ground and placing it onto the bed of a standard pickup truck. For example, applicant is aware of the following U.S. Patents, which, it is submitted, are relevant only as references, and not as prohibitive prior art:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,866 U.S. Pat. No. 3,843,002 U.S. Pat. No. 3,734,321 U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,788 U.S. Pat. No. 3,732,998 U.S. Pat. No. 3,840,133 ______________________________________
The most relevant of these patents, U.S. Pat. No. 3,843,002, issued to Pihlgren, discloses an apparatus having pivot support rods pivotally mounted at one end to a support plate at the rear of the truck. The free ends of these rods engage the axle of the trailer as the trailer is pulled up over ramps onto the bed of the truck, then pivot forwardly to raise the trailer into a basically level position. This patent, while providing effective lifting means to hoist the boat and trailer, does not disclose an effective method for guiding the tongue of the trailer as it is hoisted. As a result, a danger exists of the tongue straying to one side or the other, in the worst case the entire trailer and boat being derailed and/or flipped over. This can be of particular concern when attempting to load a boat and trailer assembly onto the bed of a truck when on a slant or in high winds.
While some of the other patents listed, namely the U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,866 patent to Slown and the U.S. Pat. No. 3,734,321 patent to Long et al., disclose methods for guiding the tongue, each of these methods has distinct disadvantages. For example, the guide rail structure of the Long patent is extremely long and unwieldy, the forward portion thereof extending well beyond the cab of the truck and the rear portion thereof extending past the rear end of the truck. The Slown patent, on the other hand, discloses a shorter guide rail, this guide rail, however, having the disadvantage of being rigidly fixed into place, thus substantially inhibiting the possibility of storing a significant amount of cargo in the bed of the truck after the boat and trailer have been mounted. This may be unacceptable if a lengthy trip is being planned and extra space is at a premium.
Hence, there is a legitimate need for a boat and trailer mounting assembly which is less bulky and more adaptable to the practical demands of the situation.